1. Magazine Name Research
By Daisy Whitefield

2. Existing
Magazine
Names
Potential
Magazine
Names
NME
Radar
Rolling Stone
Q
Kerrang!
Indie
Billboard
Vibe
Sonder
Noise
Flow
LimelightScope
Alter
Rate
MAGNET
Indie
o Independent Labels
o Gigs/ Live
o Independent
o Local
o Intimate
o Personal
o Simple Production
o Modest
o Authentic/ Original
o Raw
o Substantive
o Unprofessional
o Lean
Mainstream
o Major Corporations
o Stadiums
o Distant
o Lavish
o Impersonal
o Generic/ General
o Prefabricated
o Elaborate Production
o Self- indulgent
o Empty
o Slick
o Insipid
o Commerce
It’s worth considering how the indie genre
juxtaposes more current and less diverse
genres such as pop in order to make the
product at first glance, stand out to the
correct target audience and avoid confusion.
The listed connotations of the genre should
correlate to the name of the brand as this
will be the first thing that grasps the
attention of the viewer allowing them to
decide accordingly whether the product is
suitable to their preferences.

3. Considerations In Naming
o Sometimes a name can be dictated by a design you have in mind for the masthead, such as contrasts between consonants and
vowels: LaLa, BeBo, GaGa, BoHo, HoHo! This visual fluctuation can attract the eye causing the read to become more so
disturbed causing the potential consumers to read of in interest.
o Brainstorming a long list of keywords and then using a thesaurus for synonyms for more options can be beneficial as it will
provide alternative words for common vocabulary, these will still be exclusive to the magazine.
o Evidently, misspellings are becoming acceptable now in the online world, such as on Flickr and Digg, as are abbreviations;
OMG, YOLO, LOL, and compound words such as Facebook and YouTube. Acceptance of compound words has also been
generated from the everyday use of domain names which are a series of compound words. So I can play with new acceptable
terms for my own magazine title.
o Most magazines end up as two or four syllables. When you think about it, the word ‘magazine’ is usually put onto the end of
one-syllable titles turning them into four syllables. Time is usually referred to in conversation as ‘Time Magazine’. ‘Q
Magazine.’ ‘O Magazine’, etc. It just makes it trip off the tongue easier. One of the few that gets away with this is Vogue.
Two to three syllables also work well: Time Out, Newsweek, Hello, Okay, but again two syllable titles are usually referred to
with ‘magazine’ adjoined. However, while they are referred to in conversations like this, the word ‘magazine’ is not included
in their masthead and that is what you have to think about. The title of your magazine should fit in the corner or fit neatly
across the top of your front cover. So four syllables is usually the maximum that can do this effectively. The exception would
be Cosmopolitan, but that is an established brand and started in a much less crowded market place so its masthead is
instantly recognisable. It is now usually referred to as ‘Cosmo’! So avoid anything with five or more syllables.
o It’s crucial to not be a copycat, e.g. Pinkberry, a popular frozen yogurt chain, has spurred countless imitators with "berry"-
studded names, so when a yogurt chain approached Watkins she wanted to help them find a really distinctive name. They
ended up calling the company Spoon Me, and the name was such a hit that t-shirts and bumper stickers bearing the brand
were flying out the door. "They're making more money selling t-shirts and buttons and bumper stickers than they are selling
frozen yogurt," Watkins exclaims. When "people are paying you to advertise your brand that's the ultimate in a good name.“

4. Brief Questionnaire
In order to find out what names would be most effective and generally preferred amongst my target market, I distributed a few
questions to people within my year group. I asked 60 people in regards to the naming of my magazine and whether they believed
the name portrayed the genre well. Quantitative research is important because it is more reliable and objective. From incorporating
it into your research, you can use statistics to generalise a finding and ultimately it can thoroughly test the hypothesis which is the
purpose of this questionnaire.
What magazine name do you prefer personally, which stands out and do you find most effective?
Out of the names listed , which both stands out to you and do you generally prefer?
Sonder Alter MAGNET Limelight Noise Scope Flow Rate
Number Of People 28 8 6 2 7 1 5 3
To summarise, my findings show that the most favoured name for my production is ‘Sonder’ which I can put down solely to its
obscurity and peoples lack of understanding in relation to its meaning, it develops a mild sense of mystery making you
consider reading on to find out what the piece focuses on. The word refers to the realization that each random passer-by is
living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited
craziness. This could convey effectively the alternative approach of the indie genre, the lack of consistency which is what
distinctly allows the genre to stand out amongst others. Supporting this is the fact that the generic names of ‘Scope’ and
‘Limelight’ were neglected, they were least popular and so this is generally not what people want to see.
Out of the magazine names listed, which do you feel is most suitable for an Indie product?
Sonder Alter MAGNET Limelight Noise Scope Flow Rate
Number Of People 31 9 6 1 5 0 4 3
The results show that again ‘Sonder’ is the most impressive name for my product, not only is it most intriguing but also
portrays the genre well as people are capable of distinguishing that it is indie which is beneficial to the target market as the y
will be able to determine at a glance whether the product is something that they’d be interested in or not. Again both ‘Scope’
and ‘Limelight’ were the least successful names so I shall not at all incorporate them into my design work to avoid confusion or
upset. Although the terms are exclusive to the industry and would represent the excitement and opportunity associated, it
mustn’t live up to the creativity and visual expectation of the consumers.